Sweet Sorrow
by Fanatical Writer
Summary: After Emily receives a disturbing gift, she heads to the one place she feels safe...Reid's. ***WARNING - May contain spoilers for tonight's episode.***
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This is probably the last thing I should be doing, but I can't help myself! ****(I found my #9) ;) ****Enjoy! ~ Angie**

**This takes place immediately following tonight's episode. **

Spencer Reid looked up from the book he was reading and then put it on the stand beside his recliner, pushing the footrest down and standing. He walked to the front door and pulled the blinds away from the glass, peeking out the window. He pulled the door back in surprise. "Emily?"

"Do you still want to go to that movie?" she asked, looking anxiously over her shoulder before she walked into his house, forcing him to take a step back. She quickly closed the door behind herself and dropped her go bag.

"Em, what's going on?" Reid returned, furrowing his brow.

"I want to go to the movies," she insisted. _Or anywhere else that's public._

"Emily—"

"If you don't want to go to the movies with me, that's fine," she snapped, and picked her bag up. "I'll go by myself."

Reid grabbed her upper arm at the same time she reached for the door knob, and he spun her around. "Talk to me," he said softly as he studied her face intently.

Her grip on her bag let go, and it fell to the floor. "Oh, Spencer," Emily whispered brokenly as she began to sob. Leaning into him, she rested her forehead on his chest. "I think I'm going to die."

Reid's eyes widened and he lifted a hand to her hair, stroking it tenderly. "Emily," he murmured. "Are you…sick?"

She shook her head, her tears soaking his shirt as the sobs wracked her body.

"Please tell me what's going on, Em," he said fiercely. "_Please."_

She lifted her head and he took in the anguish in her eyes, her tear streaked cheeks. His heart broke. Her eyes widened as her lips parted with a gasp. "Oh, my _God_," she said as the gravity of the situation hit her.

"What?" Reid asked, angry now. She wouldn't answer his questions, and the fear in her eyes was growing with each second that passed.

"I've killed you," she whispered.

"For fuck's sake, Emily! Talk to me!" he shouted, each word louder than the last, his hands clamping on her upper arms as he gave her a severe shake.

"I've killed you," she repeated. If not for his hands holding her, she would have fallen into a crumpled heap on his kitchen floor. "He's after me," she said, choking on a sob. "He won't stop until he kills me."

"Who?" Reid pressed.

"I can't…I can't tell you," she said, her eyes begging him to understand.

"Why did you come here, Emily?" he asked.

She shook her head gently. "Because it's _you_," she answered as if that explained everything. "And now I've gone and signed your death warrant!" she said, her hysteria returning.

Reid had never seen her like this, and he supposed this was why he was so scared. "Whatever it is Em, _whoever_ it is…we'll catch him."

"Oh, what? Like we caught Foyet?" she asked shrilly. "No, Reid. He comes after what matters most…and he saw me come _here. _And now he'll come after _you_. God, I've killed you," she repeated.

"Let him come after me," Reid said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"No! I can't let him have you," she said.

"Emily, listen to me. We need to call Hotch."

"No!"

"Emily—"

Gunshots rang out and glass shattered around them as Reid wrapped his arms around her and dove to the floor.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the reviews for last chapter! **

**If you're interested, my friend and fellow fanfic writer, LoveforPenandDerek made me a fantastic banner for this story! I'm going to post the link to it on my profile page—it's also the new background on my computer! **** I hope you enjoy this chapter! - Angie**

* * *

Reid couldn't help but think that the shooting had been a blessing in disguise. If it hadn't happened, he didn't think Emily would have told him what was going on, let alone passed that information on first to Hotch, and then the rest of the team. It hadn't taken them any time to show up at Reid's apartment after everything had gone down. All of the people who lived around him knew that the 'quirky kid' next door worked for the FBI, and several of them had made 911 calls to report just that.

By now everyone knew, and the entire department was a flurry of activity. It was Monday afternoon; Hotch had been behind closed doors all morning. He'd just gotten back to the BAU and informed the team of a mandatory meeting. They were filing in and Reid looked around for Emily. She was the last to walk in, and the only vacant seat was beside him. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks. He had the feeling that if she wasn't working with him, she'd be avoiding him. And that was really pissing him off.

* * *

Emily grimaced as she realized that the only vacant seat in the room was next to Reid. It really was just too much. She tried to avoid his gaze as she walked over to sit down next to him, but she couldn't. Her eyes met his, and then traveled to the bruise on his face.

When they'd gone down, Reid had covered her body with his; miraculously, the only injury had been the shard of glass embedded in his cheek. They'd been able to remove it and then stitch it, but the skin surrounding the area was a combination of blue, purple, and yellow instead of the ivory tone he normally was. Guilt washed over her once again. Reid, whom she'd come to affectionately think of as flawless, was going to be scarred for life—because of the wound he'd acquired protecting her. And the worst part was…she was sure she was going to scar him again. Because of what she knew she had to do.

The door abruptly closing drew Emily from her thoughts. Hotch stood at the head of the room in front of the white board, a resigned look on his face. "Strauss won't budge. This isn't ours."

Reid and Morgan flew up out of their chairs at the same time. No one looked at Derek; they expected it from him. Instead, all eyes flew to Reid.

"What?" the two men said at the same time. Derek's, more of a roar, drowned Reid's out.

Hotch held both hands up in front of himself. "Relax," he said in a commanding tone. "And have a seat."

Reid immediately complied; it took Derek a moment, and he never stopped muttering.

"What are we going to do?" JJ asked. "We can't just work on other cases. That would be wrong. No one's head would be there, Hotch," she said adamantly.

Hotch nodded in agreement. "We're taking Emily to a safe house," he informed them.

"What?" Emily asked in disbelief. "No! That's not…we're not…we're not _wasting_ the FBI's resources on _me_."

"It wouldn't be a waste, Em," Reid said softly.

She turned to him, her posture practically bristling. "Yes, it would! I'm a trained agent; I can take care of myself."

"I was a trained agent, too, Prentiss," Hotch reminded Emily quietly, gaining her attention once again. "But I couldn't protect my family. Is this a chance you really want to take?"

Emily stood up. "Yes," she said defiantly, rubbing her palms on her slacks in an uncharacteristic show of nervousness. "Yes, it is. It's my life. And I'm not going to endanger all of _yours_ because of things that have happened in my past."

"Emily—" Reid started.

But Hotch interrupted him. "Luckily, what you want doesn't matter," he informed her. "As of this moment, you're officially in FBI custody."

"What?" she exploded, charging towards her Unit Chief. "_That_ is ridiculous!"

Hotch ignored her outburst, turning instead to the rest of his team. "Any work on this case is voluntary," he told them.

"I'm volunteering," Reid said.

"The Bureau isn't going to give us any more resources. The people in this room…_this_ is what we have. This is _all_ we have."

"I'm in," Derek said.

"No!" Emily said again, her tone more desperate than before.

"Me, too," JJ chimed in.

"A memeber of our team is in need. This is no time to back out," Rossi agreed.

"Me, too," said Penelope. "I'm in."

"Actually," Hotch said. "The Red Cells need you."

Penelope shook her head. "They get me _if_ this team doesn't have an immediate need." Her eyes went to her friend, who was still fuming. "_My_ team has an immediate need—so I'll be with _them_," she insisted. "They can find a different TA for now."

Hotch nodded, an almost imperceptible grin on his face. "I told Strauss you'd say that."

"Hotch, listen to me!" Emily commanded.

Reid rolled his eyes. "Could someone _please_ cuff the subject?"

* * *

"Absolutely not," Reid said forcefully. "We aren't taking you to your apartment to get anything. _No one_ is going to your apartment. I'm sure he's lying in wait somewhere around the building."

"I'm telling you, he's _not_, Reid," she promised. "He knows I'm not stupid enough to go back there."

"And yet here you are…determined to prove him wrong," Reid observed.

She sighed. "I'm just trying to tell you that there's no danger," she said angrily. She felt like a child, for God's sake. She'd been put into FBI custody against her will; they hadn't even let her go to the bathroom alone.

"And I'm trying to tell you that there _is_! Think about this, Emily," Reid said coaxingly in an attempt to get her to gain some objectivity. "You're a profiler. Your head isn't where it should be. What would you tell someone if you were in the field?"

She sighed in defeat. "I'd tell them that it's a chance they shouldn't be willing to take," she whispered, her body sagging wearily. She looked around for the nearest chair and sank down into it. "I can't believe this is happening," she said.

Reid knelt down in front of her. "It is, Em. But look around you. You have all of us here willing to help you. We're not going to let you go through this alone."

Emily looked at him, her brown eyes sad and distressed. "You don't know what you're saying, Reid. He's going to kill me…and if that means he needs to kill any of you in the process, he'll do that."

"Emily, we'll catch him," Reid promised.

She smiled sadly at him and lifted a hand to run her fingers tenderly over the stitches on his cheek. "We won't catch him," she whispered. "He's too good to be caught."


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! I just want to say thanks so much for the reviews for the last chapter. The more I see of Emily's current storyline, the more I want! LOL **

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! - Angie**

"So, answer me this," Derek considered aloud as he, Hotch, and Rossi gathered in Hotch's office to discuss their next move. "If we're not officially on this case, then how the _hell_ is Prentiss in FBI custody?"

"Her emotions are running high," Hotch said evasively. "She's unable to see this objectively."

Rossi grinned. "She's not in FBI custody," he deduced.

Hotch didn't say anything; he didn't have to. His colleagues knew him well enough to read him most of the time. He sat down in his chair and sighed. "I told her we were taking her to a safe house when the truth his—"

"I have properties," Derek announced. "A lot of 'em. Some are in better shape than others, but I have a place that's livable."

"How far away is it?" Hotch asked.

"It's within driving distance," Derek answered.

Hotch nodded curtly. "We'll leave at sundown," he decided.

* * *

Emily looked out the window of the moving vehicle, watching as the lights of the city disappeared behind her. Morgan and Hotch were in the front while Reid was sitting quietly beside her in the back. Rossi, Garcia, and JJ were in the vehicle behind them.

Reid hadn't left her side since the shooting—he'd barely even gotten a wink of sleep. She took the opportunity study his face, so peaceful and young looking in slumber. He'd zonked almost as soon as Hotch had started driving. She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. Reid would never have been her first choice to have around in a crisis had she been thinking rationally, but when she'd arrived home to find the flowers from Doyle outside of her front door, she hadn't been thinking logically. She'd been thinking with her heart…and she'd ended up on his doorstep. And for God's sake, he'd taken her to the ground in order to protect her!

She sighed in dismay; she had to keep up this façade of fear if she was going to be able to carry out her plan. This was something she had to face this on her own; she had to get away from her team. She winced when she realized that Reid was going to be her best bet on that front. His feelings for her—which weren't unreciprocated—were going to be her way out. She could only hope that when this was over…he wouldn't hate her.

* * *

They'd left Quantico at six –thirty p.m., and now, at three in the morning after a single rest stop, they'd finally arrived at their destination. Reid had awoken when they'd stopped, and they'd all grabbed a quick bite to eat. They'd taken turns going in…first one vehicle, then the other in order to keep an eye on things. Emily reached over and gave him a gentle shake. "Reid?" she said softly.

He mumbled something sleepily as his eyelids slowly opened.

"We're here," she told him as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Where's here?" Reid asked as he opened his door.

Emily frowned. "I'm not quite sure," she admitted.

* * *

All of their go bags were sitting by the door, and Hotch and Morgan walked in after making sure the area was secure. "We're going to have to sleep in shifts," Rossi said. "Prentiss and Reid, you can sleep first. I don't think you've slept since the shooting—except on the way here."

Reid nodded, grabbing his go-bag and heading for the stairs. "You coming, Em?" he asked.

"There are only two rooms that have beds in them," Derek cut in before she could answer.

"We'll have to get a couple more mattresses later," Hotch said.

Penelope sighed. "Is there a couch?" she asked.

"You can have the other bed," Reid said.

"But there are only—"

"I'm sleeping with Emily," he interrupted, finality in his voice.

"Reid—"

"Put a sock in it, Em," he said, causing her eyes to widen. Without a word, she grabbed her go bag and followed him up the stairs.

* * *

"Stop looking at my cheek, Emily," Reid said.

"You can't even see me," she replied.

"I don't have to see you to know you've been staring at it," he said, his eyes opening. "You've been staring at it for days."

She didn't say anything, just locked her gaze on his.

"It's not your fault, you know," he said earnestly.

"Yes, it is. I—"

"Emily, I don't know what's going on with you, but I _do_ know this. You could have told me _anything,_ and it wouldn't have stopped me from letting you in my front door. You could have said…if I stay here, someone's going to start shooting at us, and I would have let you through that front door. Hell, I'd have pulled you through it. If you would have walked back out, I would have chased you."

Emily shook her head. "Reid…why do you say stuff like that?"

"You _know_ why I say stuff like that," he reminded her.

She nodded as she thought back to the night he'd declared his love for her. She'd really had no idea, and as a profiler, that shook her. She'd been so absorbed in her own attraction to him that she'd completely overlooked his.

"How come I've never noticed that haunted look in your eyes before?" he mused aloud as reached for both her hands and clasped them with is.

It was clear he wasn't waiting for an answer, but, oh, she wanted to give him one. _I know who this is that's chasing me. I know why he's doing it. I know he won't stop until I'm dead, and he'll kill you to get to me if need be…_ She pried her hands from his and sprung up from the bed, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. God, she wasn't used to this. Emily Prentiss was _not _a crier.

"You OK?" he asked, sitting up.

"I just have to use the bathroom," she said, avoiding his gaze as she made her way from the room.

It was easy enough to find; it was just one room down from where they were. Emily closed the door softly behind her and fought the tears as she came to stand in front of the mirror. She rested her hands on the sides of the sink as she leaned closer to study her reflection. The dark circles under her eyes were the darkest she'd ever seen. And Reid was right…her eyes _were_ haunted. It wasn't a wonder her team was up in arms over all of this. "Emily Prentiss, don't you _dare_ cry," she commanded her reflection sternly.

She spent a few more minutes collecting herself and then walked back into the room she was sharing with Reid. Half of her was hoping that he was asleep, but the other half sighed in relief when he turned his head to look at her. "You OK?" he asked softly.

She nodded as she crawled back into bed and under the covers so her body was resting against his, her head on his chest. He reached down and ran his hand tenderly over her hair.

They lay that way for a minute before she put a hand on his chest, using her hand as leverage as she pushed herself up. "Make it go away, Reid," she said.

"Emily—" he started softly.

"Please," she begged.

But he shook his head as he sat up. He cupped her face with his hands and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. "Not like this," he whispered.

"Why not?" she persisted.

"Because I don't' know if you _mean_ it or if it's because you're under extreme duress," he explained.

"Can't it be both?" she asked.

"If it could, you wouldn't have to ask," he said gently.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews for last chapter, and to everyone who's reading them, I'll be updating ****A Valentine's Rendezvous** **and ****Upping the Ante** **soon! - Angie**

* * *

"Derek!" Penelope scolded, slapping his hands away from her equipment. "That cord does _not_ go there!" she informed him.

"Wha—why are you hitting me?" he asked in a shrill voice that she found rather 'Reidy.'

If there was any way she was going to be able to gather any information, she needed to get her gear set up. But all she had were a bunch of different sized end tables and the cardboard boxes she'd used to transport her things here. This was _not_ an environment that was going to be easy to work in. But she'd manage…she'd worked in quarters far less efficient than this before. "Because you have no idea what my equipment entails!" she insisted.

Derek lifted an eyebrow at her, a lazy grin gracing his handsome face. "Darlin'," he said in that smooth tone he so often used with her. "I'm sure that I could figure out just how to get your equipment…_humming_."

"Derek!" she exclaimed, her face blushing crimson. "You can't…say stuff like that to me."

"I always say stuff like this to you," he reminded her.

"Not like _this_," she argued. "That was very…graphic."

His grin widened; he hadn't thought it was graphic at all, but he couldn't resist—he loved seeing her blush. "Takin' it to a new level, Baby Girl," he teased.

Instead of replying, she ducked her head cowardly to hook the cable up to the back of her computer monitor. And Derek…well, _he_ had the nerve to chuckle.

* * *

"You need to sleep, Em," Reid said softly as he turned his head to face her.

It was four–thirty, and she still hadn't been able to crash. Her mind was leaping from thought to thought and though she tried, she was unable to contain them. "I can't," she whispered, moving her own head so her gaze was on the ceiling she couldn't see.

"Then tell me what this is about," he commanded.

She shook her head as she swallowed past the lump in her throat. "This is my fight," Emily said adamantly.

"It doesn't have to be," he told her softly. "Not if you let us help you."

It was too much…the way he was looking at her—he was being far too kind; she was having a hard time being able to stand it. Emily turned to study his face for a moment, opened her mouth, closed it, and then finally spoke. "I'm ready to sleep now," she said.

"Please talk to me, Em," he begged, lifting a hand and running a finger down her arm in a soft caress.

She laughed bitterly as her body shivered from his light touch. "And say _what_, Reid? If I tell you anything, your life is going to be in danger."

"You mean _more _danger? Emily, two nights ago…I was shot at," he reminded her. "I'd say my life is already in danger."

Reid heard her sharp intake of breath as she shook her head furiously. "I can't," she said stubbornly.

"Me getting shot was _not_ your fault," he reminded her. "You know that, right?"

"I know if I hadn't shown up at your door it wouldn't have happened," she said instead.

Reid sighed in resignation. She wasn't going to tell him anything—he knew that. And she was never going to forgive herself for what had happened to him—no matter how many times he told her she wasn't to blame.

* * *

"We're already in danger," Hotch reminded Emily the next day. It didn't happen often, but his temper was flaring. All she'd told them was that because of certain events in her past, someone was after her. Other than that, she refused to elaborate.

"The less you know the better off you are. Trust me," she informed them.

"_Trust _you?" Hotch asked with a bitter laugh. "We have _trusted_ you for the last five years, Prentiss! As it turns out, you haven't quite earned it."

"Everyone has a past," she muttered. "You don't need to know every single detail of mine."

"Prentiss—"

"You can't keep me in FBI custody forever," she said with a defiant lift of her chin.

"We can sure as hell try," Reid said angrily from his spot beside her on the couch.

Prentiss turned to glare at him, but could still feel Hotch's stare on her.

"She's looking for a reason to be insolent, Reid. Don't give her one," Hotch warned.

"I am—" Emily shook her head with a frustrated sigh and held her hands up in front of herself. "I'm not rising to the bait," she said, but it was obvious that she wanted to. Her jaw was set stubbornly and her eyes were blazing. She would not let him break her.

* * *

"You should be home with Will and Henry," Emily told her friend later that day.

"I agree," JJ said softly, surprising her friend. "But the thing is…my friend's life is in danger. And rather than confide in the group of people who would do anything to help her, she's keeping silent. I'm not going to lie, Emily. You're scaring me."

"Good," Emily said, doing her best to keep her composure. "That's good, JJ. You _should_ be scared."

JJ tilted her head to the side and gave her friend a sad grin, laughing nervously. "You haven't given us any information, Emily. Nothing to go on. Reid got shot for you, and…he doesn't even know why."

Emily turned away from the window to meet JJ's gaze, her eyes blistering. "I _know_ I got Reid shot," she said miserably. "What do you think this is about? This is about keeping him safe—about keeping all of you safe!"

"Keeping us in the dark is keeping us safe?" JJ asked patiently. "Emily, we've left our _homes_ for you. Our _lives_."

She knew her friend wasn't complaining, just demonstrating how much the team cared about her. Emily wished JJ would just yell at her. That _anyone_ would yell at her. Hotch was right, she was spoiling for a good fight. It was overwhelming to keep this all in, but she'd been here before…she knew what it was like. Eventually bodies would start dropping at her feet.

She needed to explode. She needed to either get alone so she could scream at the top of her lungs, or get to the damn gym to work some of this anxiety off. But she knew better, either one of those things were a temporary reprieve.

For the first time in her life, Emily Prentiss had everything she'd ever wanted. She was surrounded by people who loved her…who she loved back. And things couldn't be worse. Now she had something to lose.

* * *

"There's really nothing we can do?" Penelope asked despondently.

Derek shook his head. "Sorry, Baby Girl. But short of prancing Emily all around and using her as bait, the only thing we can do at this point is wait."

"But how long can we wait?" she asked. "Strauss—"

"Will be on our asses before too long," he interrupted. "Yeah. I know."

"So what…"

"In the end, if she doesn't want our help…there _isn't _anything we can do."


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who's reading this story, and those who are reviewing it! Here's the next installment! Enjoy! ~ Angie**

**Ooops...you may have gotten three alerts for this chapter...my apologies! I was experiencing technical difficulties. All is well now. (I hope.)**

* * *

"Everything OK?" Reid asked as he walked into the room he was sharing with Emily later the next day.

She looked up from her spot on the bed and closed the Kurt Vonnegut book she was reading. She gave him a dirty look. "I'm not going to climb out of the window, Reid," she said dryly.

"I wasn't thinking that," he denied.

"Reid," she said accusingly.

"OK," he conceded somewhat sheepishly. "I _was_ thinking that."

"I'm in FBI custody, Reid. I know what that means," Emily informed him unnecessarily. "I'm sure Morgan, Rossi, and Hotch are out there keeping watch…the house surrounded," she continued.

Reid put his hands in his pockets and nodded.

"Don't you think this is crazy, Reid?" she asked.

"No, Emily," he said forcefully. "What _I _think is crazy is that you won't tell us what's going on. We're practically family. Somebody shot at you, and you're walking around angry with the people who love you. That's what _I_ think is crazy. But then again, what do I know? I'm just the guy you're keeping in the dark."

"Reid," she said, moving up onto her knees and crawling towards the edge of the mattress. "I promise…if I could tell you…I would."

"You could," he said softly, then shrugged a single shoulder. "You could tell me. You could _trust_ me Emily…if you really wanted to. I took a bullet for you." He smiled tenderly at her. "And I'd do it again if I had to."

Emily sighed as she stood. "I know you would, Reid," she said. "I _know_ you would. And that's the problem. If you keep me here, you'll have to!" She walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Reid…_please_," she begged.

"I'm not letting you go," he said fiercely.

"Reid," she repeated, her voice breaking. "You _have_ to let me go."

"Never," he said, his lips swooping down onto hers as he lifted his hands to her waist. His fingers dug into the flesh beneath her shirt as his tongue trailed along her lower lip, coaxing her to part for him. With a sob, she opened her mouth and his tongue moved swiftly inside, desperate to taste her.

He couldn't help but wonder if she would taste as good as he remembered, or had time and alcohol skewed his memory? It had been nearly a year. Three hundred and forty two _long_ days since he'd slept with Emily Prentiss. Since he'd gotten purposely intoxicated at the bar one night and gone home with her. He'd allowed her to think she had to talk him into it, but the truth was he'd been _looking _for some liquid courage that night. All she'd done was make the rest easy for him.

* * *

Emily moaned when his tongue found hers, tilting her head back while her eyes closed. She took a deep breath even while he kissed her, inhaling his scent. He smelled…woodsy. Woodsy and…Reidy. She couldn't explain it, she only know that over the last year, his scent had begun to smell like home to her. She'd had to get him slightly intoxicated to get him into bed with her, and she'd been wracked with guilt ever since. He'd never mentioned it after the fact; clearly he regretted blurring the lines between friendship and…well, she wasn't sure _what_ exactly. It certainly couldn't be described as romance; she was intelligent enough not to confuse sex with love…or even the start of it.

She loosened her grip on his shoulders, lowering her hands to his chest in a light caress. He pulled his lips away from hers, trailing wet kisses across her jaw, then down her throat.

"Reid," she said weakly. "Close the door."

He took two steps into the room, forcing her backwards and releasing her waist so he could close the door. He reached blindly before finally gripping it awkwardly and giving it a solid push so it slammed shut.

While he was busy doing that, she reached underneath his shirt and raked her fingernails lightly across his stomach, earning her a hiss.

She laughed throatily before speaking. "Hot and hard, Reid," she requested.

He lifted his eyes to hers and gave her a small grin. "If _that's _what you want, Emily…you're going to have to find someone else. If you want _me_—you're gonna get soft…" He reached forward and circled a finger and thumb around her wrist. He lifted it to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on the flesh there, causing her to shiver. "You're gonna get tender…" He tugged at the neckline of her shirt until her bare skin greeted him, and then placed another kiss on her shoulder. "And you're going to get slow." He lifted his eyes to hers, and they held such promise that she felt her breath catch in her throat. "Is that what you want, Emily? Do you want soft…tender…and slow? Do you want _me_?" he asked.

She didn't even have to think about it. "Yes, Reid! God, _yes_," she said wrapped her arms around his neck and molded her body to his. This kiss was slightly harder than before, and Reid wasn't giving up control. His tongue meshed with hers, even more skilled than she remembered—and her memories were pretty remarkable. She whimpered when he lifted his hand up underneath her shirt to run the pad of his thumb over a bra clad nipple. Her body instantly arched against his, giving him more space to work.

He reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it off over her head, taking a moment to give her upper body an appreciative onceover before unbuttoning his own shirt and shrugging it off. They stepped out of their pants at the same time, and then Reid reached forward and grasped the center clasp of her bra, pulling her towards him with a solid tug. He had it undone and pushed down over her shoulders and arms within seconds, then lowered his head to her breast and took one of her taut peaks between his lips. Her head dropped backwards as her hand lifted to his short hair, clutching it tightly while the rough texture of his tongue teased her body.

"Reid," she moaned.

"God, Em," he said hoarsely. "You taste so damn good…just like I knew you would."

She couldn't help the grin that played over her face at the satisfaction of knowing that he, too, had been waiting for this moment, waiting to taste her again.

"I don't wanna wait, Reid," she told him.

"Slow, Em," he reminded her.

She lowered her chin and grasped both sides of his head, lifting it so their eyes met. "Reid," she pled once again, her voice husky. "_Please._ Once you're inside of me, you can go slow."

He studied her face for a moment, then stepped forward, forcing her backward until the backs of her legs hit the mattress. He came to a stop as he gripped the sides of her panties, pulling them down until she was able to step out of them. He did away with his boxers, then put a hand around her waist, placing a knee on the mattress as he angled her body towards the bed.

He wanted her—_had_ wanted her so badly, for so long. God, he wanted to do this right. He wanted to make sure this was good for her, because God willing, they'd both remember it this time.

He locked his eyes on hers as he situated himself between her legs. "Emily," he whispered hoarsely as he pushed inside of her. He closed his eyes and had to grit his teeth so he wouldn't come immediately. When he'd finally gained control of his thoughts, he opened his eyes again. "I won't let anything happen to you." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then both of her eyelids as they fluttered closed. "I promise."


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: Hey, guys. I'm hoping to wrap this one up before we see what happens on the season premiere. I don't think it'll happen, but I'm going to give it the ol' college try! Sorry for the delay in posting._

_Thanks to all of you who took the time to review the last chapter!_

_~Angie_

* * *

Emily and Reid had been housebound for three days, and while they'd been having lots of sex—incredible sex, her mind and lower body amended—it wasn't enough. Emily Prentiss had never been one to sit back to let others get their hands dirty on her behalf. She needed a plan, and she needed one now. She had to get out of this house, and away from her team…before one of them ended up dead.

Her phone jarred her from her thoughts and she snagged it from the nightstand, checking the caller ID. "Prentiss."

"Who in the hell is Ian Doyle?" Morgan barked onto her ear.

_Fuck._

* * *

Emily practically flew down the stairs, trying her best to keep a calm exterior. It wouldn't take long before her team had every piece of information on Doyle that was documented. And when they did, she was sure to be surrounded by multiple people at all times. There'd be no way of escape then.

"Reid," she said.

He looked up from the book he was reading.

"I need to get out of here."

"Forget it," he said, returning his attention to the book in his lap.

Emily forced herself to walk slowly over to him and sit down beside him. "Please, Reid," she said. "I've been in here for three days, and I'm going insane."

She waited, but he didn't look up.

"Hotch said earlier that he was sure our location hasn't been compromised."

Still...nothing.

"I'd kill for a piece of chocolate," she sighed.

"OK," Reid said, grabbing his phone. "I'll call Hotch, and –"

"No!" she said quickly, confiscating his phone. While she had it, she managed to turn the ringer off on the side without him noticing. "I just…I need to get out of here, Reid. Just for a little while."

Reid studied her features for a moment and then sighed. She was practically begging to leave this house. And she was right…they'd been inside for three days. They both needed this.

"Fine," he said, taking his phone back from her. "We'll go to town, get you some chocolate, but then it's right back here, Emily."

She nodded in agreement.

* * *

Emily was in a do or die situation, and when she'd shown up at Reid's apartment just nights ago, she'd inadvertently put him, _and_ the rest of the team, in one as well. The only way to stop this…or so she kept telling herself…was to get Doyle to come after her. And there was no doubt in her mind that if she could just get away, she could lure him to her.

"Right there," she said, pointing to a vacant parking spot.

"There's a closer spot up ahead," he informed her.

She smiled at him. "I think I'd enjoy the walk."

Reid pulled into the parking spot, and as usual, nailed the art of parallel parking. Emily glanced quickly about their surroundings, glad to see there was no one else around. She swiftly slid across the seat.

"What are you-?"

Her lips cut off the rest of his question and she kissed him with everything she had. Every pent up feeling she'd ever had for him came forth as her tongue met his, but he gently pushed her away. "Em…you're scaring me," he said solemnly.

"Spencer," she said softly. She'd never used his first name before. "I have to know that whatever happens, you know that the reason I slept with you…the _only_ reason I slept with you—is because I wanted to be with you."

"I wanted to be with you, too," he returned earnestly.

She nodded past the sudden lump in her throat; this was much harder than she'd thought it would be. This wasn't just a plan she was putting into motion…it was a betrayal. And there was no telling if he'd forgive her for this.

"I need to know that whatever happens, you won't hate me," she said, taking a deep breath.

"I won't hate you," he promised. "Emily, you have to trust that—"

His sentence was interrupted by the sound of an unmistakable click, followed immediately by another. "Dammitt, Emily!" he said. "You have to trust us!" He jerked his wrist back, but she'd cuffed him securely to the steering wheel.

"I'm so sorry," she said in a husky voice. Pulling his phone from his pocket and the keys from the ignition, she slid across the seat and placed one foot on the ground, then turned to look over her shoulder at him. "I do trust you, Reid," she assured him. "But if I stay, he'll get to you."

"Who is _he_?" Reid asked thrashing about in the seat as if he had a chance of getting free.

"And when he does…it'll be like I pulled the trigger myself," she finished sadly.

* * *

_Trigger._

Reid suddenly realized he still had his gun and grabbed it with his free hand, waving it at her. "I'll shoot you in the thigh, Emily!" he warned as she lowered her other foot on the ground.

She smiled miserably at him. "No you won't. You won't risk hitting me in the face. We both know you're a terrible shot, Reid."

"Dammitt, Emily!" he yelled again as panic set in. "Let me come with you!"

"I can't. I have to go."

She turned, prepared to go, but when he said her name again, it was so thick she had to turn back.

"Emily...I love you," he told her softly.

He watched as she stubbornly blinked back her tears, nodded once, and then disappeared.

* * *

She'd left his cell phone on the hood of the black SUV, then called Hotch to let him know Reid was in trouble. After dropping her cell phone through an open car window to throw them off her trail, Emily doubled back and found a place where she'd be able to see the team when they arrived. She wanted to ensure that Reid would be safe until they got to him.

As soon as she saw the black SUV barreling down the street, she bolted.

* * *

Reid got a good dressing down from Hotch, and he couldn't even defend himself. His Unit Chief was right. He'd been careless, and now Emily was probably using herself as bait to entice Doyle, the man they now knew was after her, out of hiding. And that wasn't all they knew: Doyle was ruthless. They needed to get to her before he did…or they might find her one piece at a time.

With a heavy sigh, Reid leaned against the vehicle.

"It's OK, Kid," Morgan said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder as he walked up beside him. "You trusted her."

"You wouldn't have trusted her," Reid pointed out.

Morgan laughed harshly. "You're not as cynical as I am."

"Maybe not," Reid agreed. "But this wouldn't have happened to you."

Derek took a deep breath. "Look, Kid. I'm only gonna say this once, so listen up," he advised. "Sometimes, it's not because I don't _want_ to get close that it doesn't happen. It's because I _can't._ Now _you_ tell me who has it worse."

And with that, Derek walked away.


End file.
